Upper West Side Crime Wave: Is It Real? What Does it Mean?

A series of high-profile crimes occurred on the Upper West Side in late December: All three crimes occurred within the confines of the 24th Precinct and, at press time, all remain under investigation. The two violent assaults—one with a baseball bat, the other a stabbing—were “random,” and could have happened to anyone. The burglary was clearly targeted, and well-planned, striking the basement of a popular tavern that was open when the bandits struck.

Details about these incidents follow and, after that, a consideration of whether, according to NYPD data, they do or don’t represent a dreaded “crime wave.”

For the sake of clarity, the boundaries of the 24th Precinct are from the north side of West 86th Street to the south side of Cathedral Parkway (West 110th Street) from the western boundary of Central Park to the Hudson River. Below the 24th on the West Side is the 20th Precinct, above it the 26th Precinct.

The current Commanding Officer of the 24—succeeding Deputy Inspector Noreen Lazarus, who transferred to the East Side 19th Precinct—is Captain Veniece Gayle. The 24th Precinct station house is at 151 W. 100th St., near Amsterdam Avenue on the southern edge of the NYCHA Frederick Douglass Houses complex.

It’s worth noting that for years now the 24 has been among the most transparent and helpful precincts within Straus News’s coverage area. A recent interview with Captain Gayle in West Side Rag reinforces this reputation for candid community engagement.

Assault in 96th Street Subway Station: Dec. 19, 7:20 p.m.

On Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, at approximately 7:20 p.m., in the vicinity of Broadway and West 96th Street, a 23-year-old male was approached by an unknown male individual while he was on a northbound subway platform. The individual punched the victim in the face and then stabbed him in the back after a verbal dispute. The individual fled the location in an unknown direction. EMS responded and transported the victim to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition.

The individual is described as a male with a light complexion, approximately 20 to 30 years old, and a slender build. He was last seen wearing all-black clothing.

Burglary at Lion’s Head Tavern: Dec. 20, 8:47 p.m.

On Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, at approximately 8:47 p.m, three unidentified individuals entered the basement of the Lion’s Head Tavern, located at 995 Amsterdam Ave. at the corner of West 109th Street. Once inside, the individuals removed a safe containing an undisclosed amount of US currency. The individuals then fled the location on foot eastbound on West 109th Street.

The first sought individual is described as a male with a dark complexion, approximately 20 to 25 years of age and a medium build. He was last seen wearing an orange T-shirt, a black jacket, and tan pants.

The second sought individual is described as a male with a dark complexion, approximately 20 to 25 years of age and a heavy build. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket.

The third sought individual is described as a male with a medium complexion, approximately 20 to 25 years of age and a medium build. He was last seen wearing dark-colored clothing and glasses.

Assault Near Straus Park: Dec. 21, 10:35 p.m.

On Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, at approximately 10:35 p.m., in the vicinity of West End Avenue and West 107th Street, near Straus Park, a 24-year-old male victim was approached by an unknown male individual. The individual struck the victim in the face with a baseball bat multiple times and fled on foot westbound toward Riverside Park. The victim sustained injuries to the face and was transported by EMS to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition.

The sought individual is described as a male with a light complexion, approximately 5-foot-8 with a slim build. He was last seen wearing all black clothing and was carrying a black baseball bat.

Enter the Crime Analysis Unit

Each week, every NYPD precinct issues its own unique CompStat report, offering short- and long-term data on crime numbers. The seven major crime categories are Murder, Rape, Robbery, Felony Assault, Burglary, Grand Larceny, and Grand Larceny Auto.

While one should be wary of drawing strong conclusions from the short-term numbers—a headline reading “Felony Assault Up 150%!” when incidents rise from two to five in a week might be alarmist—the data, used wisely, is invaluable.

As it turns out, however, Felony Assault in the 24th was up both for the week of Dec. 15-21, and the year through Dec. 28 compared to the same time frame a year ago.

Through the most recent CompStat report of Dec. 22-28, 2025, the 24th Precinct counted 192 Felony Assaults, up 19.3% from 161 in 2024. Old-timers who aver, Well, it’s safer than itwas, need to look decades back, because this year’s numbers are 88.2% higher than they were in 2010, albeit 58.3% less than in 1993.

By comparison, in the 20th Precinct, where most crime numbers are down, there were 99 Felony Assault through Dec. 28.

Concerning as these numbers are, the Upper West Side is nearly utopian compared with high-crime areas Brownsville, Brooklyn, or the South Bronx, where the 75th and 40th Precincts counted 1,054 and 1,028 Felony Assaults, respectively—with both of those numbers being slight yearly reductions.

Burglary numbers in the 24th were also up, with 203 incidents showing a whopping 55% rise from last year’s 131, and a 62.4% increase since 2010.

Murder Most Foul

The good news is that the 24th Precinct murder count held steady, at only one. The sole homicide victim of 2025 was Shariff Clindinin, 40, who was allegedly stabbed to death on April 19 by David Felix at 140 W. 104th St., which is an address at Frederick Douglass Houses. Felix was subsequently charged with 1st Degree Murder and is being held on Rikers Island without bail.

A GoFundMe for Clindinin stated “Shariff (aka PeeWee) is survived by his loving mother, brother, and daughter, all of whom are devastated by this sudden loss. As the Clindinin family navigates this unimaginable time, we are asking for your support to help with any arrangements necessary to honor his life and impact.”